Memorial Day Family Pictures

What do you do when all the Poyfair's get together for Memorial Day?

You take family pictures, of course!

Since we are currently at a grand total of 39 people (great grandma included) we decided

each family would dress in a different color. Jason was such a trooper about me choosing pink,

with 4 girls it seemed like the logical choice. I grouped all the families

together so we could tell who belongs with who. 

It's a bit of a challenge to shoot

that many people at one time, especially when 24 are children.

I think we did pretty good overall.

the "kids"with mom dad and grandma

the grandkids with grandma, grandpa, and great grandma

Everybody!

After we took the above photos, I had the chance to shoot two of my 

favorite "little" families.

Dane and Christie, actually, are not so little with 6 kids, but

after shooting 39 people 8 doesn't seem like so many.

This is the Arkansas Poyfairs,

One of the funnest and most creative families you will ever meet.

Next I shot Brandon and Sharee's family

We have really missed them since they moved to Utah, and we'll

miss them even more now that they are moving

to N. California.

This family is adorable, and no, that is not Carmella Sharee is holding,

it's her "cousin twin" Makaida (pictures of those two to follow in another post).

This was one of the last shots I took of them. I love it because, the kids came running up

at this point and Sharee is looking down smiling at them. You can 

just see all her love for her little ones right on her face.

Memorial Day Weekend - the Festivities Begin.

As is always the case, we are at the Poyfair Lake House for our big Summer kick off.  Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of our Summer fun, and we are doing it up right.

Today we did the usual swimming in the lake stuff, but this afternoon the guys set up the Volley Ball net we had a fun afternoon of sports. After some of the acrobatics I saw today, it's no wonder a few of the guys are already complaining of being sore. But, boy did they have fun!

I couldn't have posed this one any better if I tried!

Janet and Carmella, The Cheerleaders

Spring Artwork Take Two

Beyond Photography

This was the second of my three classes this semester. I was 

a little apprehensive about this class. I wasn't exactly sure

what to expect.  My instructor Bryan Florentin

loves conceptual art, and that always intimidates me just a bit.

We started off looking at Duchamp and his Dada Art. A super fun period of nonsensical art

that came about as a reaction and protest to WWI.  There is a short description of it here. Personally,

I love his LHOOQ.  It always makes me smile.

So on this vein, my first assignment to create 4 pieces of art using found objects and images.

One had to be a collage, and one had to be a digital photo montage, one using found images and objects together, and the last being made of found objects.

This project stressed me out. It is so outside of the way I 

usually think and work, and the idea of it being

nonsensical really blew my mind. 

Especially since as art students we are encouraged to always work with a concept.

I came up with this...

The Jewelry Box

Filled with objects a woman not actually want to wear. The thorn encrusted ring is my 

favorite.

Nothing to See Here

I used an old print we had in our closet, and "improved" it.

Obamatage

My digital photomantage. I actually have several versions of this. I have manipulated it 

several times, this is the final version I turned in. Version two is hanging in our bathroom.
The large number across the top is the twitter feed of our national debt at the time I made the project.

Flight Deck Collage

I used postcards from an art exhibit called Flight Deck

to make this collage.

Project 2

We were able to pretty much do whatever we wanted,

but our inspiration was to come from Surrealist Art.

I chose to do a project with books.

I put peep hole in a copy of Lewis Carol's

Alice in Wonderland

I cut up a book of poetry by T.S. Elliot. One of my favorite Poets.
This way the poems can be mixed together to create new meanings.

I baked a cook book.
This one is better in person.
I feel like it needs to be held to really get the effect I am intending.
The once bright cover is now dark and aged,
the pages are now yellowed, and the binding is broken,
but most of all, it smells. I don't mean
it smells good, it is stinky.

 Lastly, I made a lamp out of books that are supposed to give enlightenment.

Project 3

The Puzzle

My third and final set of projects for Beyond was, I think, my favorite.

We were focusing on performance and installation art.

For my first piece I purchased a blank white puzzle. 

Jason and I spent an evening coloring each individual piece. 

I then placed the unfinished puzzle on a table

on the third floor of the art building. I encouraged my 

fellow students to spend some time putting the puzzle together.

I was a little confusing at first because usually when working on a puzzle you look for like colors,

and images. However, with this puzzle each piece is unique from the rest so it took

 some time for people to realize the idea was to look at shape not color.

many found this really frustrating.

Several of my friends worked hard to get it put together.

After many attempts, and redo's it finally got finished.
Ivy decorated the box for me as a surprise. I love it!

Making a Turtle Cheesecake

For this piece I made a video of myself making a cheesecake.

Jason was my handsome helper with the camera. At my direction,

he filmed the process of making the cheesecake. In it you see my hands mixing, and adding ingredients.

You see my mixer as well as the pans as I pour the batter into the pans.

there is no music, but rather the sounds of the mixing and pouring, along with the sounds

 of my home. Children, husband, and myself.

When I presented this video I served the cheesecake to my class and we ate it as we watched.

In a nutshell this project was about process, and domesticity. 

The good new is Bryan, my instructor, loved it, and Kenda, my department head, thought it 

was excellent. They were very impressed with my concept and execution. 

(of course bringing a cheesecake to class helps too!)

Sadly, I don't have any pictures of this one and I don't really want to upload a 15 minute
video to the blog.
But, if anyone would like to experience it in person, just let me know
and I'll make a new cheesecake, and put the video on while you eat.

A Train Adventure. Or, Our Dreams Finally Came True

Let me start at the beginning ...

I have this friend, Lindsey, who has this little boy, Carson, who loves trains. So she asks me "Would you and the girls like to go ride the Trinity Park Mini Train with us?" Of course I wanted to go. I'm not one to turn down a fun outing that I didn't have to plan. So, we pack up the munchkins and drive up to Ft. Worth and wait for the train. THAT NEVER COMES! According to the website it is supposed to be running, but no. So we let the kids play at the park for a while, then head home.

    

  Did I mention that this was March, the week before Spring Break? Well, it was.

Flash Forward a few weeks.

I have this friend, Lindsey, who has this little boy, Carson, who loves trains. So she asks me "Would you and the girls like to go ride the Trinity Park Mini Train with us?" Yes, of course we didn't get to last time, and the kids really want to go. So, we pack up the munchkins and drive up to Ft. Worth and wait for the train. THAT NEVER COMES! It was a bit chilly that day, and there was some wind, but no train. So, we head home.

Did I mention that this was April? Well, it was.

In the mean time several of Lindsey's friends have gone with their kids and ridden the train.

So now we have a mission. We have to ride this train!

Flash Forward a few weeks.

I have this friend, Lindsey, who has this little boy, Carson, who loves trains. So she asks me "Would you and the girls like to go ride the Trinity Park Mini Train with us?" Of course I want to go! We are going to ride this train or die trying. So, we pack up the munchkins and drive up to Ft. Worth and wait for the train. THAT FINALLY COMES!! The kids are so happy, Lindsey and I are so happy.

Did I mention that this is May? Well, it is.

It only took us two months and three tries but,

 our Train Dreams have finally come true!

Who am I?

I am the kisser of boo boos. The fixer of broken necklaces. The finder of shoes and other lost items. I am the maker of lunches. The brusher of hair. The maker of beds, and folder of laundry. I am the washer of  walls, and pusher of swings. I am the holder of hands, and teacher of manners. I am the referee, the shoulder to cry on, the timer of piano practice. I am the story teller; the secret keeper. I am the Tooth Fairy, Santa Clause, and the Easter Bunny. I am the diaper changers, the puke cleaner, the cookie maker. I am the hugger. I am the spanker. I am the judge, and the forgiver. I am the cheek kisser, the costume maker, and the party planner. I am the enforcer of rules. I am the blower of bubbles, and wiper of noses.

Who am I?
   

                           I am their Mother, and for that I will always be grateful.

I dedicate this post to my Mother and Mother-in-law, and to all the mothers I know and love who do  all of this and more.

One step closer to the end

I'm afraid this post is going to end up being very long, so I think I'll break it up into two posts.

Another semester is at an end, and I must say, it is quite possible that this was my favorite one. Which is strange because despite the fact that took two photo class, I never even picked up my camera for a school assignment. In my first class, Advanced Photography, we studied Post Modern Photography, inspired by the artist Cindy Sherman. Sherman has a retrospective exhibition showing at the Dallas Museum of Art right now. She does these strange and amazing "self" portraits, that aren't really about her even though she uses herself as the model. She is more like an actor playing a role in her photos. I highly recommend checking her work out here http://www.cindysherman.com But, as a word of warning, I would stay away from her "Disaster Series" unless you have a strong stomach. The thing about post-modernism is that a lot of art work uses acquired images and text. It is not necessarily photo based, but it can be. I was very much intrigued by this idea of working outside of the camera so I did two photo based projects where I didn't need my 35mm camera at all. Ya know it's funny, I didn't think I was going to like working in this genre as much as I do. In fact I like it so much I'm already thinking about a new body of work I'd like to start.

The first project was my Facebook project I'm just going to include my artist statement here. I think it sums up what my intentions are pretty well.

The Facebook Paradox

by: Sara Poyfair

Each day, millions of people spend more time on social networking sites than what is probably necessary, or healthy, for that matter. I am just as guilty of it as the next person.  We log in to see what is happening with our “friends”.  To see what funny dog picture or “ecard” of the day is being shared and getting an obscene number of “likes”. We post our musings, our accomplishments, our funny and embarrassing moments for the world to see.  Then, we check back in to see who is saying what about that which we have put out there.  It becomes an obsession.  We have to “check in” everywhere we go; we have to upload photo after photo because everything we do is so amazing that we couldn’t possibly keep it to ourselves.

This project is a comment on that Facebook world.  Each time we scroll through our news feed, we are inundated with images and words.  Similar to a want ad or a personal column, each post is about something completely different than the last.  The mind resets with each new post. It is meant to.  One post is not meant to relate to another, but then again, sometimes it does.  What if two unrelated posts are read together?  Does it change their individual meanings, or does it give us something new to think about?

Look at the posts.  How does one woman’s lament about a loved one reflect against another woman’s pride about her daughter’s accomplishments?  Does it make the first comment a little more sad or the second more proud?  What is an “Invisible War”, and how does Texas fit into it?  Is L.A. waging a war against a mighty state?  How do these themes coincide?  When a young widow, wishing she could share a laugh with her late husband is preceded by what is meant to be a funny Valentine’s day advertisement, does that make the advertisement less funny somehow?

These are a few of the questions I ask within this body of work. I leave it to the viewer to answer them. I leave it to the facebooker to find the links between the posts and to consider just what it is that we, the social networking public, have to say.

If you happen to see your facebook self in one of my images, please be flattered and not offended. I had no intentions to make anyone look bad or foolish.

My second and final project for Advanced Photography was my Fathers project. Once again, I'll include my artist statement to help explain myself. Under normal circumstances each photo would be matted and framed and hung in the same way you would hang a cluster of family photos on the wall. The way they are presented here is just for the sake of time and ease.

The Fathers

Over the past Fifty years the role of father has changed drastically in American culture. This change is most dramatically noted in the grand American tradition of the sitcom.

The images in this series have been acquired via the Internet to show in photograph how the father has evolved. In this series I have taken publicity shots, used for the purpose of marketing the individual shows, and placed them side by side so as to compare how the men are representing themselves in their respective roles. The small size is intended to mimic how a person might display a photo of their own father, thereby connecting the individual to the man.

Each person’s reaction to these men may differ based on age and experience with their own father’s, as well as the shows with which they may identify.

This is a very personal body of work for me. I feel strongly about how fathers today are portrayed in pop culture, to the point that I have banned several shows from my home because I don’t agree with how the men are spoken to and treated.